I'm Here For You
by YuriChan220
Summary: AU. Murakumo is a very shy and insecure girl who isn't noticed by anyone. However, one girl does and Murakumo's life changes when she immediately falls in love with this girl.
1. I Get Noticed

**I'm Here For You**

 **Pairing: Murakumo x Shiki**

 **Genre: Drama**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Senran Kagura or any of its characters.**

 **Author's Note: (jumps and waves) Hello, everyone! My name is Yuri and this is my first Murakumo x Shiki fanfic! Um…even though I haven't played the games, I still think those two are a good pair. And there just isn't enough Murakumo fanfics, so that made me step in and write a story about her because I like her. So, as you all know, this is an AU…because I didn't play the game. *sigh* A-anyway, this is also based on a manga that I read a while ago called "I Am Here", which I loved~! However, not everything is going to be similar to that manga as I'm making this a full on Yuri and not a Love Triangle, which is super hard to do.**

 **Enjoy~! ;)**

"What did you get on your test?"

"I got a perfect score."

"Oh, really? I got one, too!"

"I failed."

The two girls look at the third one and laugh.

"Oh, you! You never study!"

"You really have to get into the habit of it, girl!"

"U-um...girls?" a quiet voice says.

"I know right?" the first girl says. "Last time I got a fail, my parents grounded me for 2 weeks!"

"That's not good!" the second girl comments.

"U-um..."

"Someone's behind you," the third girl points out.

Just then, the three girls jump back in shock.

"WHOA!" the first girl cries. "Since when did you get here!?"

The quiet girl stands there nervously with her book clutched against her chest. "A-a couple minutes ago."

"W-we're sorry!" The other girls run off and turn towards a corner, leaving the quiet girl standing there, stunned.

"That was close!" the first girl says.

"She surprised me, though," the second one says. "Did you know she was here?"

"Beats me," the third girl replies.

"What was her name again?"

"I think it was Mirakuma or something..."

The third girl rubs her chin. "The name really escapes me. It's like she wasn't here in the first place."

"I know, right? It's strange."

As the girls walk away, the quiet girl slumps down in her chair, after hearing that conversation. "It's Murakumo," she mutters as she hangs her head down.

Murakumo is a very quiet and shy girl with long brown hair who ofen ties it in a side pony-tail. She attends Gessen Girl's Academy and as far as making friends go, she's been having no luck at all. Not just in high school, but since elementary as well. No one really pays attention to Murakumo, and always treat her like she's invisible. The only question she always asks herself: "What did I do to deserve this kind of treatment?" Even though it's not their intention not to notice her, it just...happens. Why ignore such a cute girl like her?

She sighs sadly as she gets out her materias. "I guess...I wasn't speaking loud enough," she says quietly.

Murakumo can even remember the time she felt very lonely when she thought she made friends with other girls, but...it turned out it wasn't. She was playing "Hide and Seek" with them and when she picked a hiding place, no one found her. No one even bothered to come look for her. She waited...and waited...and waited until she went home crying. After that terrible experience, she was still determined to make friends, no matter what. However, they turn her down again and again, making the shy girl even more lonely than before. Murakumo even wonders if there's anyone that will actually notice her. Class began with her just taking notes and not being called on by the teacher.

* * *

The next bell rings and Murakumo is the last one to walk out in the halls to get to her next class. However, she hears some squeals from the other girls and notices them gathered around for some reason. She looks for an opening to see better and notices a girl with long blonde hair and beautiful red eyes walking by everyone and waves.

"She's so…pretty!" one girl squeals.

"She's beautiful!" another says.

"Not only that, but she's really popular!" a third girl says. "She talks on her phone a lot, but also loves shopping! I want to be her friend!"

"Me too! I want to be her friend as well!"

Murakumo stares at the blonde as a blush appears on her face and clutches her books tighter on her chest. _She is beautiful,_ she thinks to herself. _Actually, I've never seen girls that pretty before. Wait a minute. Why is my heart beating so fast!?_ She looks up to notice the blonde stop and stare at her. None of them move a muscle while the other girls murmur some things to each other. _D-did she just…look at me?_ Murakumo thinks to herself. The blonde's stunned face turns into a beautiful smile as she slowly approaches the shy girl. Murakumo backs away a step as she blushes even harder. _Now she's coming towards me!_ she thinks to herself. _What should I do!? What should I say!? Ohhh, what should I do!?_ However, the blonde girl closes gaps between them with her smile remaining on her face.

"Take care, cutie~" She gives Murakumo a wink and then walks by with her blonde tresses swaying gracefully.

Murakumo gasps as she stands frozen from what she just saw. She puts her hand on her chest to feel her heart beating really fast as she swiftly turns towards the blonde.

 _Who is she?_ she thinks to herself. _And I could've sworn that she just noticed me! She really noticed me when no one else didn't! I'm so happy! But…why is my heart beating so fast? We only just saw each other right?_

Shaking her head, she continues onto her next class.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, but I'll make it longer for future chapters. And again, I would've known about Murakumo and the other girls of Gessen if I had played the game, but I want it so badly! Watching it might be okay, but it's better for me to play it for myself.**

 **Feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review~!**


	2. I'm Finally Found

**Chapter 2**

 **I'm Finally Found**

When Murakumo arrives home that afternoon, she closes the door behind her, greets her mother and runs up stairs to her room. As she closes the door behind her, the image of the beautiful blonde girl pops in her head. _She really noticed me,_ she thinks to herself. _But…why would she notice me? I…I don't know her._ Whoever that girl was, Murakumo is glad that some one finally saw her. After setting her school bag down, she gets on her knees in front of a small table with a stack of paper, ink, pencils and erasers.

Since she was little, Murakumo always loved to draw. Whenever she had free time from studying, she would always sit at her desk, letting her imaginations run wild with a simple sketch of a pencil. Her parents were very proud of her hard work and even hung some on the refrigerator to keep track of how much she had improved over the years. Until now, she's a professional artist and she is now drawing doujinshi as her hobby. She picks up her spiral notebook, containing all the drawings she did in the past and does her magic with her pencil to sketch out the girl she saw earlier. Even though it was brief, she memorized her appearance very well. _Blonde hair, red eyes and wearing the same uniform,_ she thinks to herself as she continues to sketch. _No problem._

After about a half-hour, she finished her rough sketch of the blonde girl and holds it up to admire it. _That's the one,_ she thinks. _She's the girl. I…want to see her again._ If she gets a chance, she is eager to introduce herself to this girl and maybe talk to her. And if it goes well, she might even have her first friend. She clutches the notebook to her chest as she blushes. _I really…want to see this girl again._

* * *

The next day, Murakumo walks in the halls and looks around for the girl she longed to see. But she's nowhere to be found. _Maybe she's not here in the mornings,_ she thinks to herself. She proceeds to go to her classroom. However, there are other girls who are sitting on the desks, talking amongst themselves. She sighs softly as she starts to approach them. _I need to speak up this time,_ she thinks to herself. _Speak up and maybe then I'll be noticed!_

"E-excuse me!" she starts.

The bell rings for class to start. The girls rush towards their assigned seats as Murakumo just walks towards hers. At least, the bell saved her the trouble of repeating herself. Still, it would've been nice if she had been noticed by the other girls.

Class runs by quickly, for Murakumo that is. The bell rings for next period and as always, Murakumo is the last one out. _Maybe I can finally meet the girl!i_ she thinks to herself. _I did earlier, so maybe now's my chance!_ However, she notices that there isn't a crowd in sight, which means that the blonde didn't show up. She sighs sadly as she keeps on walking. _I guess she's absent today or something,_ she thinks to herself. She's been so eager to meet the girl she wanted to talk to, yet she's nowhere to be found. Maybe tomorrow or after school, she'll have to look for the girl.

The day goes by slowly for Murakumo. All she's been thinking about is that girl she saw yesterday and how excited she was to talk to her and introduce herself. She's been out of focus for the whole day and barely got her notes down. And finally, the school day is over and Murakumo goes out to look for the girl. She searches in the halls as each of the girls leave to go home. But there is still no sign of her. Unfortunately, she has cleaning duty, so she'll look for her after. The teacher assigned 3 other girls as well to help out, so it should be fine…for now.

"Geez, why do _I_ have to be the one doing cleaning duty?" one girl whines as she crosses her arms while sitting on the desk.

"I have to practice for my violin performance that's coming up in 2 weeks," another girl says.

"And I have to study for a test," the third girl says.

"Argh," the first girl groans. "Let's just get this over with and-Oh, my gosh! Misakawa-san!?" She almost bumped into the shy girl as she is about to jump out of the desk. "I didn't notice you were still there!"

"I-it's alright," Murakumo says. "And my name is Murakumo, by the way. I'm just glad to be cleaning like this with all of you."

The girls exchange looks as there is silence for a few minutes. Then, the three start giggling.

"You're so honest, you know that?" one girl says.

"It's no wonder you wanted to volunteer," the second one says.

 _Eh?_ Murakumo is speechless. Those girls…are actually talking to her? Could this be true?

"We'll get some more rags," the third girl says. "We'll be back in a bit okay?"

"S-sure…"

Murakumo's confused expression slowly turns into a bright smile. _Oh, my goodness! They are actually…really nice to me! They were even talking to me when I spoke to them! I-is this a dream? Could I have finally done what I've wanted all along!? M-maybe after I clean, I can talk to them again and become good friends! My dream of making friends is beginning to come true!_

SLAM! CLICK!

Murakumo jumps and gasps at the loud sound and clicking of the door. _W-wait, what!?_ she thinks to herself.

"Why are you locking the door?" she hears one of the girls say from the other side.

"We're done, so we can go home now," the other replies.

"What about Misakawa-san?"

"Maybe she went home already."

"N-no!" Murakumo rushes in and bangs the door. "I'm still here! Really, I am!"

"Maybe Misakawa-san…wants to be alone."

This breaks the poor, shy girl's heart. She's been longing so hard for this moment to happen and yet…she got betrayed once again…just like old times.

"If we hang out with her, it might bother her."

Murakumo bangs on the door hard. "No! That's not true!"

"What a pity."

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Murakumo cries as she bangs on the door one last time before sinking to her knees. "Why won't…you listen to me?"

She stands up and wobbles towards a wall with her back against it, slumps down and hugs her knees. Murakumo wasn't expecting this to happen, but it did. Just when she started to gain some courage, it backfired. It was the same thing all over again for her… to be sad and lonely all the time. She never wanted this…not ever in her life. Tears are already forming and falling freely from her eyes. She tries to wipe them, but they just keep on coming. The thought of being lonely is too painful for her.

"I-I want to make friends!" she sobs as she buries her head in her legs. "I want someone to find me! Someone to talk to! I…I…I DON'T WANT TO BE LONELY ANYMORE!" Her shoulders are shaking violently with each sob and sniffling. "S-someone….please, help me! Please!"

Though she's crying for help, she doubts that no one is able to hear her. The teachers are gone by now and since no one is there to save her, there's no way that she can get out of there. She may get out from the window, but she's on the second floor, which could be dangerous for her.

"HELP!" she sobs again.

Just then, she hears some footsteps come toward the door. It clicks and the door slides open. Murakumo's eyes widen at the person standing before her. The girl with the blonde hair is here. The same exact girl she saw this morning.

"Are you alright?" she asks as she comes to her aid. "I heard some crying and luckily there was one of the teachers that are just about to leave, so I asked her for the keys to this room." She holds out the keys as proof.

Murakumo is too speechless nor choked up to even talk. All she does is jump into the blonde's arms and sob her heart out. The blonde's eyes widen in shock for a bit, but immediately returns the hug, feeling sorry for the poor girl.

"Thank you!" Murakumo sobs. "I…I thought I was a goner and was going to stay in there all night and no one would come! But you…you came and found me! You're the only one who came!" She buries her head in the girl's chest.

"Shhh…it's alright," the blonde girl says as she gently strokes Murakumo's hair. "You're safe and sound now. So, you don't need to worry anymore."

Murakumo continues to cry in the blonde's chest. She wanted to let out all her pain and suffering right now since this girl came for her when no one else did. And best of all, it was the same girl she saw that noticed her. And she was happy. About 10 minutes later, the crying slowly ceases as Murakumo pulls away and gasps when she looks at the blonde in the eyes.

"I-I'm so sorry!" she says. "I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay," the blonde girl says with a smile. "I'm glad I came when I did. I had cleaning duty at my own classroom and it took a lot longer than I thought it would be." She takes both of Murakumo's hands in her own. "Say, I didn't properly introduce myself. My name is Shiki. What's yours?"

"M-my name is Murakumo," the shy girl replies.

"What a cute name for a cute girl like you~" Shiki says as she playfully pinches her cheek.

"H-hey!" Murakumo manages to pull away and rub her slightly pinched cheek, which makes the blonde giggle.

"Hmm…" she rubs her chin in thought. "A cute girl like you deserves a cute nickname."

"E-eh!?" the shy girl gasps. "Wh-what nickname are you going to give me?"

Shiki rubs her chin in thought. "Hmm…" Then, she snaps her fingers at the idea. "Aha! From now on, you'll be known as 'Muracchi'. Or 'Kumo-chan'? I can call you either way, because you're too cute~!"

The shy girl blushes at the two optional nicknames. Never in her life she had been called a unique nickname since being lonely all those years. She wanted to jump into her arms again, but instead says, "Th-thank you very much."

Shiki giggles again. "No problem." She holds out her hand. "Well then, shall we get going? I can take you to the station, if you want."

Murakumo blushes again as she nods. "S-sure." No one had even walked with her to and from school either. Taking the blonde's hand, the two head out to the train station. And the whole time they were walking, Murakumo is blushing, just from holding Shiki's hand. _W-we're just walking together,_ she thinks to herself. _It's not like we're a couple or anything_.

Once the two get to the station, the train arrives just in time. They enter it and luckily, it's less crowded. They take a seat together and the train starts to move again as soon as other people get on board. Murakumo glances at Shiki, who is still holding her hand and is even placed on her lap. She can feel her gripping a bit tighter and looks up at the blonde. Shiki just winks at her, letting her know that she'll never let go. Murakumo blushes again from the wink. _Wh-who is she?_ she thinks to herself. _Why does it feel like she's…trying to flirt with me?_ She shakes off the question as she scoots a bit closer to the blonde and somehow falls asleep for the whole train ride.

* * *

Once it arrives at Murakumo's station, Murakumo thanks her and starts to get off when a hand gently grabs her wrist, causing her to turn back.

"Wh-what is it, Shiki-san?" she asks.

"We didn't even get a chance to say good-bye yet." The blonde says. She walks over and hugs her. "And besides, we just met, too."

Murakumo blushes yet again. "Y-yes." She could only return the hug for a bit before both of them pull away.

Shiki gives her a gentle smile again. "I'm glad we met, Kumo-chan." She raises her hand and softly caresses her cheek. "Because from the moment I met you, I had admired you. I've been…thinking about you the whole time since that day." She slowly moves her hand towards her shoulder as she takes a step closer. "And so…this is my way of saying good-bye…" She leans in and presses her lips against her forehead.

Murakumo's eyes widen in shock from the simple touch of Shiki's lips on her forehead. After she pulls away, she smiles again and waves.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Kumo-chan~" she says.

"O-okay," Murakumo says as she waves back. "Bye."

The train doors close and leaves shortly after. Murakumo slowly raises her hand to touch the place where Shiki had kissed and blushes. She had never been kissed by this girl before or any other girl in her life. And this is the first time she had been kissed.

"This girl," Murakumo says to herself. "She's…really interesting." She starts to walk when a paper falls out of her skirt pocket for some reason. "Eh? When did I have this?" She bends over to pick it up and unfolds it. There she reads:

 _"I had fun spending time with you, Kumo-chan. As a token of our friendship, I put my number down at the bottom._

 _—Shiki"_

Murakumo blushes as she smiles. _I've finally…made a friend._

* * *

 **A/N: What do you think Shiki should call Murakumo? I can't really choose, to be honest. Hehe~! So, votes are up, reviewers~! Muracchi or Kumo-chan? Feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review~!**


	3. I Have a Model

**Chapter 3**

 **I Have a Model**

 **A/N: Sorry for the super late update. I had some major writer's block, but now, I'm back on track~! Please continue to enjoy the story~!**

Murakumo walks home after the train ride and a puppy happily run up to her. She giggles as she pets him gently.

"Hey, Rufus~!" she coos. "How was your day today~?"

The white puppy barks in response.

"That's good. Now, where's Spike?"

Her black puppy runs toward her as if on cue. The brunette pets both of them happily while her two puppies wag their tales and lick her a few times. Her two puppies, Rufus and Spike, get along with her very well. She wanted a puppy since she was young, but her parents didn't let her until she was about 15. Since she's responsible enough, she adopted two puppies with the help of her parents from an animal shelter. The two puppies immediately took a liking of her and she decided to take care of both of them. As the days went by, Murakumo had gotten closer to the puppies than ever before. She fed them good food, played with them and trained them well. They even sleep with her in bed every night. She and her two puppies are like best friends. They were her only friends before she met Shiki. Whenever she is sad, her two puppies are always willing to try to cheer her up. All in all, Murakumo loves her puppies very much.

"Hey, guess what?" she tells her puppies. "I made a new friend today!" She pets them more. "Yes! Her name is Shiki! I'm sure you'll like her once you meet her."

She looks up for a bit to recall the blonde girl saying something to her. _Because from the moment I met you, I had admired you. I've been…thinking about you the whole time since that day._ Shiki's voice says in her mind.

"Does she…really mean it when she said that to me?" she asks herself. She's not sure if that's really a love confession or not, but due to her kissing the shy girl on the forehead, it may be evident that Shiki is in love with her. Either that, or she's just messing with her. "I need…some answers."

 ****The Next Day****

Murakumo walks in the halls to look for the blonde. Luckily, she finds her talking on the phone around the corner while sitting on a chair. She quickly hides behind the corner, knowing that it's rude to interrupt someone when they're calling. _M-maybe I'll ask her later,_ she thinks to herself. _I've heard from the girls that she loves to chat on her phone a lot, so this is not a good time…_

"Excuse me?" Shiki's voice startles Murakumo that she flinched at hearing it.

"WAH! Sh-Shiki-san!"

"Suprised~?" The blonde teases. "I saw you look from the corner as I was on the phone."

"B-but…don't you want to go back to your call? You seemed to be enjoying whoever you're talking to."

Shiki shakes her head as she waves her hand dismissively. "Nah, it's just a quick call. Did you need something?"

Murakumo's heart starts to beat rapidly from looking at the blonde and her smile. _She's so…pretty just from looking into her eyes,_ she thinks to herself. _I think I'm going to faint…_

"Kumo-chan?" Shiki asks as she leans a bit closer with her hands behind her back.

"U-um, I want to ask you something…in private."

"Private?"

Murakumo nods as she shyly fiddles with her fingers. Shiki smiles and pats her head.

"Of course," she says.

The two walk together to the roof of the school where there's no one present. After closing the door behind them, Shiki looks at the brunette.

"So, what is it that you want to talk to me about, Kumo-chan?"

Murakumo fiddles with the hem of her skirt, thinking of how to properly ask the blonde. _I'm so nervous!_ she thinks to herself. _This is the second time we've actually talked! Ohhh, how am I going to say this!?_

"U-um…do you remember…yesterday?" the brunette says softly.

"Yesterday?" Shiki repeats, tilting her head in confusion.

"Y-yes," Murakumo says. "When we got off the train, when you said good-bye to me…you said something to me about…admiring me?"

Shiki gapes at the response, but gives her usual beautiful smile. "Ah, yes. I remember it very well."

"S-so I was wondering…did you really, um…mean it when you said that?" Murakumo is blushing from saying this.

Shiki's smile remains the same as she walks over, and puts her hands on the brunette's shoulders.

"Will this help you find the answer?" she says gently. She slowly leans in and kisses her forehead, making the shy girl blush even harder. After pulling away, Shiki's smile remains on her face. "I really meant it, Kumo-chan~."

Murakumo's emerald eyes stare into Shiki's ruby eyed ones. Seconds feel like minutes of staring at her. She wanted to believe what her friend is saying, but something is holding her back.

"B-but…I'm so plain," Murakumo says. "I don't stand out very much and I'm always-"

"Kumo-chan," Shiki cuts her off. "Please believe me. No one else on Earth is as cute and kind and innocent as you are. I've always…admired you that way."

The shy girl gasps softly as a light breeze blows past both girls. _N-no way,_ she thinks to herself. _Shiki, the girl who is admired by everyone, admires me. She was also the one who noticed me when we first met. I felt…so happy._

The bell suddenly rings for first period. Shiki turns to leave when she says

"I'll see you later, Kumo-chan," she says. "I'm so glad we talked." She then walks away with her long blonde tresses swaying gracefully.

Murakumo still stands there with her fist on her chest and the wind blowing past her again, making her hair sway.

"Shiki-san…really likes me…" she whispers to herself.

 ****At Home****

Murakumo lies on her bed, staring at her drawn picture of Shiki from two days ago, blushing. _Shiki…likes me…_ she thinks to herself. _It's the most wonderful thing that happened in my life._ She then sits up with a surprised face. _W-wait a minute! If she likes me, does that mean she loves me!? I-I haven't even considered returning her feelings! And we've only known each other for a couple days! Th-this is sort of going too fast…_

She lies back down on the bed and sighs.

 ****The Next Day****

Murakumo stands near a corner again, watching a crowd gather around the blonde beauty. Clutching her books tightly, she keeps on stealing glances at Shiki and then quickly hiding when she thinks the blonde saw her. _Me and Shiki-san,_ Murakumo thinks to herself as she puts both of her hands on her cheeks. She can feel some warmth coming from them. _As a couple. Oh, it would be a dream come true, but…we only met for two days. Should I return her feelings?_

She is about to walk away when she bumps into a girl with shoulder length gray hair with a white ribbon tied in the back.

"Ah! I'm so sorry!" Murakumo apologizes. "Are you okay?"

The gray haired girl looks up at the brunette. Her expression is calm and not even the slightest bit of a cold behavior towards her. When she takes a closer look at Murakumo, something hits her.

"Oh…are you…the girl Shiki is talking about?" she asks.

"Eh? You're friends with Shiki-san?" the shy girl says.

"Indeed I am," the gray haired girl's voice is even as calm as a light breeze in the wind. Murakumo can't believe that there's another person who noticed her. "So, I want to say good job. You and Shiki continue getting along as friends." And she gives the brunette a gentle smile and walks away to meet up with the blonde.

 _That girl is so nice,_ she thinks to herself.

Later on during school, Murakumo has been thinking about Shiki. She even found an opportunity to draw a picture of Shiki during lunch outside. However, it's only a sketch of her since the lunch period is about 45 minutes. Murakumo didn't mind as long as she has a picture of her. She can never stop thinking about her words, too. The words that left her heart beating for a long time.

 _"I've always admired you, Kumo-chan"_ Shiki's voice echoes in her head as soon as she finishes her sketch. She'll have to finish the rest later.

However, something's a bit wrong here.

 _If I'm friends with her, what will everyone else think?_ she thinks to herself. _I'm always known as an unnoticeable, plain and shy girl and Shiki-san is admired by everyone. We're…like in two different worlds._

She's happy that the girl she met had encouraged her to keep getting along, but the thought of her normal, but lonely life held her back. How in the world can she and Shiki be friends if she's like this?

"Is it...better for me to be alone after all?" she says to herself as she keeps staring at her sketched drawing. She doesn't know what to do anymore. After many failed attempts at making friends, she is stuck in her own world. A world full of loneliness.

Suddenly, a heavy wind picks up, making the shy girl scream and raise her hand to keep her hair in place. But she accidentally lets go of the paper in the process.

"Oh, no!" she cries as she stands up from the bench. "My drawing!"

She starts to chase after it when the wind dies down, making the paper fly over and land safely on the ground by someone's feet. However, when she looks up at the person, it's none other than the beautiful blonde, Shiki.

"Is this yours?" she asks as she picks it up and examines it.

"Y-yes," Murakumo replies softly. "Thank you."

Shiki smiles as she gives it to the brunette. "Hey, that drawing...is that me?"

Murakumo blushes and nods in response.

"Wow! I never knew you could draw, Kumo-chan~!"

"W-well, I've been drawing since I was little."

"Really!? That's awesome! May I see some of your other pictures?"

The shy girl looks up at the blonde. "Y-you mean you want to look at them?"

The blonde giggles. "Of course~! Why else would I ask?"

Murakumo digs into her school bag to pull out a few pictures safely stored in a yellow folder. She hands the blonde the pictures and she looks through them. All of them are fully colored. One is of a girl standing in the rain with an umbrella. Another is a yuri couple who happen to be twin sisters and are touching each other's lips with their fingers. But the last one is with Shiki in her school uniform, alone in the school halls with a beautiful smile on her face. Shiki is stunned by this and glances at the brunette with a suprised look.

"These are...really good!" Shiki says. "I'm very impressed, Kumo-chan! It's like they're real, but it isn't!"

"Thank you," Murakumo says with a blush and a small smile.

The blonde hands the pictures back to Murakumo and smiles. "Say, Kumo-chan, since I love your drawings, can I be your model?"

"Eh!?" the shy girl gasps. "M-my model?"

"Hehe~! Yup!" Shiki does a sexy pose in front of her, like putting her hands behind her back, tilting her head to the side and then crossing her legs. "Like, draw me like this next time. Or maybe like this?" She poses as if she's blowing a kiss at someone. "Yes, I think this pose is better~!"

Murakumo blushes from the blonde's wonderful poses. She never thought that Shiki would already become her model after becomeing friends with her.

"So what do you say?" the blonde asks.

"I think...I think it's a wonderful idea..." Murakumo replies quietly.

"Hooray~!" Shiki cheers as she immediatly gives the shy girl a hug. "You're the best, Kumo-chan~! Thank you!"

The brunette returns the hug with a soft smile. _Maybe this isn't so bad after all,_ she thinks to herself. _Shiki-san is just so kind to me it's hard for me to get over her. Even if I have a lonely life, I should just forget about it. Because I have Shiki as my friend now. And that's all that matters._

* * *

 **A/N: I love Yumi, so I decided to put in a cameo for her. She will appear more in the next chapter. Feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or conerns and don't forget to review~! ;)**


	4. Flower Within Me Starts to Bloom

**Chapter 4**

 **Flower Within Me Starts to Bloom**

Murakumo rushes out of her house after eating breakfast all the way to Gessen Academy. She had overslept because of her thinking of the beautiful blonde girl, Shiki and Murakumo allowing the blonde to be her model after seeing her drawings. In fact, she had literally been dreaming about her last night. They were alone together at the front of the school, hands intertwined and then Murakumo telling her feelings to Shiki. The blonde immediately accepts and when the two were about to kiss, Murakumo's alarm went off. She was disappointed that the dream didn't finish, but at least it was a good dream. And Murakumo is happy that it was.

 _I think…I finally realized my feelings for her,_ she thinks to herself. The dream is clearly evident that she loves Shiki, too. And her love for Shiki has boosted up her self-confidence, which is definitely a good sign. She knows she can't give up on herself now.

When she steps foot at the entrance of the school, she takes a deep breath, smelling the fresh air with a smile. She sees a couple girls talking to each other and swallows hard. Back then, since she lacks presence, she gave up on greeting people. But thanks to Shiki, she feels that she can try again.

 _Okay!_ she thinks to herself. _You can do this! Be cheerful and smile!_

"Go…Good morning!" she says as loud as she could.

However, the girls didn't hear her and keeps on talking and then walks away. Murakumo's smile slowly fades and puts her hand down. She knew this would happen, even if she tried.

"Kumo-chan~!" a voice says from behind her.

The shy girl gasps and turns around to see the blonde and the gray haired girl beside her.

"Ah…" is all the brunette could muster.

Shiki glances at the girl next to her and giggles. "Oh! Hehe~! This is my friend, Yumi-chin. She told me about you yesterday."

"It's a pleasure to meet you again, Murakumo-san," Yumi says, softly as she smiles.

"N-nice to meet you, too…Yumi-chan…" Murakumo replies quietly.

Yumi giggles. "You're so cute. I guess Shiki wasn't kidding when she said that to me."

"She told you that, too?"

"Mm-hmm. And I can tell that you two get along very well. So, I'm very happy about that," Yumi says.

Murakumo gasps softly again. _That girl from before,_ she thinks to herself. _The same girl said the exact same thing to me yesterday. And on top of that, she's Shiki-san's friend. I feel like this world is getting better and better._

"Well, we'd better get going," Shiki says. "I'll see you later, Kumo-chan~!"

"Bye, bye," Murakumo replies softly as she waves.

The girls smile and walk past her. She turns around with her fist on her chest. _Yumi-chan…and Shiki-san…both of them are so kind to me,_ she thinks to herself.

* * *

Class goes by without any trouble and Murakumo exits the classroom last like always. And as usual, the girls are gathered around the blonde, shooting her a lot of questions, like "Hey, Shiki-san! What's your favorite thing to do when you shop?" or "Shiki-san, what type of make up do you use?" And the blonde would answer them casually, like if there's nothing special. However, the main topic for this conversation is, "Hey, Shiki-san! What's your favorite animal?"

The beautiful blonde rubs her chin in thought. "Hmm…I don't think there's any in particular…"

"Oh, but there's got to be something that you truly adore~!" one girl says.

"Hehe~! Well, since you asked, I would say puppies," Shiki responds.

"Oh, puppies are so cute!" another girl shouts out.

"I agree!" a third girl jumps in.

Murakumo watches as she blushes at the blonde. _They are all having fun,_ she thinks to herself. _I would love to join them, but…will anyone be okay with it?_ She decides to leave the scene when she hears Shiki call her name.

"Muracchi?" the blonde says.

The shy girl turns around and blushes from her beautiful smile. "Y-yes?"

"What's your favorite animal?" Shiki asks.

Murakumo's voice is small and quiet. "It's…puppies. I like puppies, too."

Shiki giggles. "I'm glad."

The shy girl blushes again when the blonde speaks up again.

"Hey, Muracchi. Why don't you come and join us?" she says as she waves her hand, signaling her to come over.

 _E-eh? She wants me…to join them?_ Murakumo thinks to herself.

The blonde's smile remains on her face as the shy girl takes a few small steps toward her. _This is…the first time I've ever joined something like this,_ she thinks to herself. _I'm actually joining…this circle._

As soon as she closes gaps with Shiki, all of the girls continue talking, laughing and having a great time. Murakumo looks around her, blushing and gaping at what's around her.

 _It's like…a dream come true,_ she thinks to herself. _I'm actually…with everyone else._ Murakumo is truly happy. What her life used to be a lonely one, turned into happiness. _I'm really glad…I met Shiki-san…_

 ****At Home****

Right after getting changed into her casual wear, which is a purple long sleeved shirt with blue shorts and thigh high socks, she goes into finishing her drawing of Shiki that she did yesterday. She adds a few touches to the hair and clothing until she's sketched the whole thing and then comes to trace it with her pen. For the first time in her life, she never felt this happy. And it's all because of her meeting the beautiful blonde girl, Shiki.

 _I feel that the flower within me…is really starting to bloom,_ she thinks to herself as she finishes the tracing and erases unwanted stuff after that. She then holds up the picture and blushes deeply.

 ****The Next Day****

"Hey, do you have P.E next?" one girl asks.

"Yes, do you?" her friend replies.

"Yes, I do."

"Well, we have to hurry before we're late."

"Right!"

Murakumo packs the last of her stuff in her school bag and rushes out of the classroom as well. _I have to hurry, too._

However, before she can go any further, she sees Shiki once again with Yumi and comes to a halt. The blonde turns around and notices the shy girl as well. They stare at each other for a couple seconds before Murakumo speaks up in a quiet voice.

"G-good morning…"

"Good morning, Kumo-chan~!" Shiki replies with a smile.

"U-um…th-thanks for inviting me to the group yesterday," the shy girl says.

"Oh, no problem. I'm happy that you came."

"Shiki, we have to hurry to our next class," Yumi says.

"In a minute," Shiki says and turns back towards the brunette. "Say, Kumo-chan. Are you free after school today?"

"Eh?" Murakumo blushes from her words.

The blonde giggles. "I just want to talk with you some more because you're fun to be around~!"

"Ah…y-yes…me…too," the shy girl stutters between her words.

"Excellent~!" Shiki gives her a quick hug and pulls away. "Then, how about meeting me at the school gates. Let's walk home together."

Murakumo blushes harder at this request. It's been a while since they last did it the second time they met. She nods her head with a soft "Yes". Shiki smiles, pets her head and rejoins Yumi to walk with her to her next class. The brunette's heart beats rapidly as she watches the blonde leave until she turns a corner. Sighing happily, she walks the opposite way towards her next class.

 _Shiki-san is so nice~_ , she thinks to herself.

 ****After School****

She is done with cleaning duty and is about to leave the classroom when she

"You mean it?" one girl asks.

"Yes! It's totally true!" the other girl replies. "Shiki-san and that girl from Class-A, Mirakuma-san, were being really friendly with each other."

Murakumo pauses as she listens in on the conversation while hiding behind a corner.

"Who is Mirakuma-san again?"

"She's the plain girl who talked with Shiki-san recently."

"Ah, yes. Her."

"Doesn't she tick you off sometimes?"

"Yes. She and Shiki-san are totally opposites. They shouldn't belong together."

"That plain girl is only with Shiki-san because she's nice."

"You're telling me."

Finally, she couldn't listen to any more of this and runs away. She can't believe what she had heard. Was it really a mistake to be with Shiki in the first place?

"Ah!" the brunette comes to a complete stop when she sees Yumi in the middle of the hall. Both of them don't move a muscle until the gray haired girl speaks up.

"What's the matter?" she asks. "Why do you look so pale?"

Murakumo's body trembles as she stutters though her words. "U-u-um…uh…it's nothing, really."

Yumi puts on a stern face. "It doesn't look like it's nothing."

The brunette glances at the floor, unable to say anything else.

"Are you…being bullied?"

Murakumo can only nod her head. The gray-haired girl sighs and crosses her arms.

"That's just wrong," she says. "The only way I knew about it is that I heard some girls talking about you. I can also tell from the way you were acting."

"Oh…" Murakumo cannot argue with that.

"Anyways, these girls are not happy with you being with Shiki," Yumi continues. "And that's how this bullying started."

"Wh-what should I do?" the shy girl asks.

"I say just remain strong and ignore those girls' comments," Yumi advises as she turns towards her. "Those girls are just jealous and have nothing else to say but random trash." She walks over and puts her hands on her friend's shoulders. "I believe in you, Murakumo-san. You and Shiki should continue to be friends, no matter what the other girls say. Okay?"

"Yumi-chan…" The shy girl realizes that Yumi is right. She's been so insecure of herself that she's letting those girl's words get into her head and stop her from being with the one she trusts and gets along the most.

"Well, I have to go now," Yumi says. "Take care, Murakumo-san."

With that, the gray haired girl skip off toward the entrance. Murakumo remains in the halls for a few minutes, taking in all of Yumi's words into her mind.

 _I guess I have to change after all,_ she thinks to herself. _But…will it be enough to be with Shiki-san alone when the other girls are jealous of me? What are they going to do to me if this keeps up?_

She leans against the wall and sighs. Just then, a couple of girls walk by her, stop for a bit and one cute girl with long violet hair waves.

"Bye, bye~!" she says, cheerfully.

Murakumo gasps and looks up at the girls who are exchanging looks.

"Wakaba-chan, who were you talking to?" an orange haired girl asks.

"Oh, this girl here," the violet haired girl replies. "The one that likes puppies~!"

Murakumo gasps as she puts her fist on her chest. _What…what was that just now…?_ she thinks to herself. She then flashes back to yesterday morning when Shiki asked her what her favorite animal was. And then, it hits her. She realized that those girls must have been part of the group circle and were happy to hear her favorite animal. She needed to tell Shiki right when she meets her.

 _She must be at the gates by now,_ she thinks to herself as she runs through the halls towards the exit.

By the time she goes outside, she notices the blonde waiting by the gates, texting. Murakumo runs towards her with a smile and stops.

"Shiki-san!" she says excitedly. "Shiki-san, just a minute ago, a girl from yesterday-"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down there, Kumo-chan~!" Shiki giggles as she pets her hair. "Now, tell me what happened?"

Murakumo takes a deep breath and explains to her about the girls she saw. Shiki smiles her beautiful smile.

"Ah, I see," she says.

"Oh! Did I keep you waiting long? I'm sorry!"

"No, no, it's fine~! I got here a few minutes ago when I received a text message from Yumi-chin." She looks at Murakumo while tilting her head. "Now that I think about it, I gave you my number a while ago, but you never gave me yours."

"O-oh! I'm so sorry!" The shy girl whips out her smart phone and begins fiddling with it. "Hmm…let's see…" Just then, she can feel Shiki come close to her, almost touching shoulders and has her phone held up as well. "Sh-Shiki-san!?"

"It's alright," the blonde says, softly. "I just want to look at your phone."

It takes a few minutes for Murakumo to open her phone number and then have Shiki enter it in on her phone. _She's…so close…_ the shy girl thinks to herself. _My heart is beating so fast, my hands are getting sweaty! This is the first time we've ever been this close!_

After punching in Murakumo's number, Shiki faces the shy girl. Her expression is serious for a bit as she gently puts her hands on her shoulders.

"I promise you, Kumo-chan," she says. "Whenever you're in trouble, I'm only a call away. And I'll come and find you. I'll protect you from any harm."

"Shiki-san…" Murakumo says, softly. She had never heard the blonde talk like that before. And plus, she's willing to protect her from harm? This makes her blush furiously.

Shiki leans in to kiss her forehead, pull away and smile her beautiful smile once again. "Oh, and please, let's drop the '-san' from now on. You and I are friends, right? So, call me Shiki~!"

"O-okay…Sh-Shiki…" Saying her name makes Murakumo's heart beat faster.

Shiki nods happily. Wonderful~! Now then, let's head home together."

"S-sure…"

With that, the girls head towards the station and are just in time for the train to arrive. And for the whole train ride, Murakumo is thinking about what Shiki had told her. Her heart beats rapidly from stealing glances at the blonde and her words that are swirling in her head. _I'll protect you, Kumo-chan._ The words echo.

A small smile appears on the shy girl's face and leans over to rest her head on the blonde's shoulder and closes her eyes. _This is…a dream come true,_ she thinks to herself.

* * *

 **A/N: Now, again, I'm basing this story off of "I Am Here" but not all of it is going to be similar to it. As you all know, Murakumo doesn't blog like Hikage, so I can't write that. And plus, I don't like Love Triangles. The reason being is because I've seen a couple anime shows, such as "Peach Girl", that have a Love Triangle theme and I've noticed that people have picked the 2nd OTP more than the first. So, having read "I Am Here" I think people will pick the 2nd OTP for this one. I just…I just don't like it in my opinion.**

 **Also, I know Wakaba from "Wakaba Girl" doesn't belong in Gessen, but I just felt like putting her in there just to add more characters. And don't worry! The whole Gessen team will assemble soon~!**

 **Feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review~!**


	5. I Make More New Friends

**Chapter 5**

 **I Make More New Friends**

It's just been yesterday, but ever since Shiki gave Murakumo her phone number, she still feels her heart beating rapidly. The way she looked at her, the way she vowed to protect her...it just makes her feel so happy that she could cry. She grips her phone while at the shoe locker, looking down.

"I'm...I'm so glad..." she whispers to herself. "Shiki-san gave me...her phone number...and...it was only just yesterday..."

She cannot stop forgetting that day. She'll bury that moment into her memory for as long as she lives. Letting out a soft happy sigh, she starts to open her locker to get her shoes when she hears footsteps coming toward her.

"Hey." A girl says. "Can we have a moment with you?"

Murakumo shakily turns toward a group of 5 girls, one of them is taller than the rest, the one in the middle. She steps up closer to her.

"Y-y-y-yes?" the shy brunette says.

"What's your name again? Mirakuma or something like that?" the taller girl says. "No matter. Let's just cut to the chase." She steps closer to the shy brunette, invading her personal space and slams her hand against the lockers. "You and Shiki-san have been very close. We've been watching."

"Y-you have?"

"Of course!" another girl says. "WE adore Shiki-san! She's the most popular girl in this school. But since you came along and have been friends with her, we feel like you're taking her away from us!"

"N-no...I...I'm not doing anything l-like that..." Murakumo stutters, waving her hands back and forth. She's never been this scared in her life.

"Oh, I get it," the taller girl says. "The only reason she's friends with you is because you have NO friends at all. Don't worry. We'll become your friends from now on~"

Murakumo has a feeling that this girl is lying. "Y-you wouldn't..."

"Ohhh, yes~" the taller girl says. "How else would we do that if you're only friends with the girl you care about so much?" She then eyes the phone and suddenly snatches it off her hands.

"H-hey! What do you think you're doing!?" Murakumo cries.

"If you're friends with us now, then you won't need Shiki-san's number, right~?"

"N-no! Give it back!" Murakumo demands. But her voice doesn't carry even the least bit of assertiveness. Tears are forming in her eyes; she hates facing adversity like this, especially when she's outnumbered. Right now, she wants to scream for Shiki... or anybody…

"Let's look through your contacts, eh? Hmmm... oh, you got that Yumi girl's number. Another quiet weirdo!"

"Y-Yumi-san is... my friend..." Murakumo mumbles.

"Hmmm... not much else... HA! Yumi and Shiki are your only friends in the world! HAHAHA! And Shiki probably doesn't even care about you! She's just your friend out of pity!"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" a mysterious voice calls out of nowhere.

The girls all jump at once when the figure makes herself known. A familiar set of ruby eyes, and blonde hair... and a spunky attitude.

"Like, you girls better step off Muracchi before I get, like, REALLY mad!"

"B-but Shiki-san! We're your friends! Why do you need her when you have us?!"

Shiki shoves past them and embraces Murakumo, gently stroking her hair. "Muracchi is a better friend than you shallow, conceited girls ever will be. Now, give her phone back."

The taller girl grumbles as she hands over the stolen device. "Hmph... let's get out of here. I never thought Shiki-san would be so uncool!"

As the girls walk away, Shiki feels the shy brunette shaking and then soft sobs are heard from her. Shiki hugs her tightly, stroking her hair more.

"It's okay...they're gone now. They're gone," she says softly.

Murakumo sniffles and sobs some more. She's too choked up to even talk. Shiki just saved her from those bullies. The blonde has kept her word about protecting her from harm.

After about 10 minutes of calming down, the two girls are already on their knees with Shiki still having her friend in her arms.

"Are you okay now?" the blonde asks.

"A...a little..." Murakumo says as she wipes the tears off her face.

"Those girls just don't know the meaning of 'friends' for sure. I mean, like, they really need to get a life."

"I concur." A soft spoken voice says.

The two look up and see Yumi standing in front of them. "I saw everything. Murakumo-san doesn't deserve this kind of treatment."

"Y-Yumi-san..." Murakumo mutters as the soft spoken girl joins them.

"We're here for you, Murakumo-san," Yumi says with a small smile. "We won't let anyone harass you any more."

Murakumo nods as a couple new tears fall from her eyes. "Thank you...Y-Yumi-san..."

"Now then, let's hang out together," Yumi says. "My other friends Minori-san and Yozakura-san. Or rather...do you want to hang out at my friend, Minori-san's house?"

Shiki brightens. "Really!? Do you, like, mean that!?"

"Mmhmmm. Yozakura is baking some sweets, and Minori is helping. They'd love to have us over. And..."

Murakumo blushes when Yumi puts a hand on her shoulder. "They're really eager to meet you, Murakumo-san."

The green eyed girl feels a warmth in her tummy when she hears those words. They actually... want to meet... her?

"Wow! Cmon, what do you say Muracchi? Won't you come with us~?" Shiki pleads, giving some adorable little puppy eyes.

Murakumo's body shakes as she tingles with comfort. "U-uhhh... sure! Of c-course I'll go! Yes~!"

"Awesome! It's, like, a party!" Shiki squeals. "Just five girls, eating sweets and, like, having a great time~!"

Yumi doesn't say anything; her warm smile and a playful chuckle speaks for itself.

Later that afternoon, Murakumo is in her bedroom looking in the mirror, making sure she's presentable. Her body shakes as she can barely contain her excitement. Two new friends... and they want to meet her! They're friends of Yumi, so they MUST be nice. This whole afternoon is just... awesome. Murakumo never had the chance for such a social gathering before. This was practically a party for her! She was so grateful for this chance... the chance to finally go out and meet people.

As the timid girl is busy beaming with joy, her phone suddenly rings. She picks it up and looks at the ID: it's...

"Hello! Shiki-san?"

"Murrachi, I told you not to call me that anymore, haha! Hey, are you ready to go to Minori's house?"

"Y-yes. Are you?"

"Absolutely! Can we, like, walk there together? I'll meet you in front of your house!"

"That sounds great... thank you...!"

"Kay! See you then~!"

Murakumo checks herself one last time: her hair is in its usual style, and she's wearing a cute red tanktop and navy blue miniskirt. To complete the image is her socks that rest a few inches below the knee. She looks... good. Not at all like a social reject. She looks like someone with the confidence to hang out with new people and make friends.

As she starts out the door, Shiki is already on the sidewalk waiting for her, a joyous expression on her face and a waving hand.

"Muracchi! Heeeeeeey! Over here~!"

Murakumo's cheeks warm up upon seeing Shiki, who is clad in a black t-shirt and a denim skirt. As she approaches the blonde girl, sometimes her mind tries to comprehend that this is really happening. It's hard to believe, in such a short time, that a girl like her could have turned things around so quickly... and Shiki is to thank for it. Shiki is the one that gave her the confidence in the first place. Shiki is the strength that allows her to move forward, and look to a brighter future…

Murakumo and Shiki walk side by side with the blonde holding up her phone for the directions towards Minori's house.

"Yumi-chin's already there, but we can get there in time~" Shiki says. "Don't worry. You'll, like love it there~"

Murakumo nods with a small smile. In just 15 minutes, the two arrive at Minori's house. Shiki knocks on the door a few times and waits for an answer. Then, the door opens and it reveals a cute small girl with brown hair tied in small pig tails.

"Heeeey~! Welcome! Come in, come in!" the girl says, beckoning the two over. "There's lots of sweets if you want some!" She points to a basket full of cookies, lolipops and cake. "Yozakura-chan made lots of them~!"

"Oh...I...i see..." Murakumo says. "Ummmm...m-my name is Murakumo."

"Ah, you're the girl Yumi-chan's told me about! I'm Minori! I may not look like it but I'm in high school~!"

"The same school, girls~" the short blue haired girl says, coming out of the kitchen with a tray of chocolate chip cookies. "My name is Yozakura. I'm an excellent cook and look after Minori here."

"H-hello," Murakumo says. "I'm Murakumo. Nice to meet you all."

Minori immediately runs over towards the basket full of goodies, takes a lolipop and hands it to the shy brunette. "Here, here! Would you like some~? There's plenty!"

Murakumo squeaks upon being offered a bright green lollipop with pink swirls in it. Her face lights up red. "Ahh... w-wow... um... sure..."

"Say ahhhh!" Minori grins.

"Ahhhhh~"

With a giggle, Minori sticks the lollipop in her mouth. Murakumo is immediately blasted with an intense sweetness on her tongue; she instinctively closes her mouth, lest she salivates all over the place.

"Mmm... good~" the shy girl happily exclaims.

"Awwwwww Muracchi! You look so cute with a lolli in your mouth~" Shiki giggles, throwing an arm around the green-eyed girl with the white stick of the sweet treat hanging out of her mouth.

"Ehehe..." she giggles, her voice muffled since her mouth is full.

The afternoon starts off good; the five of them basically sit around and stuff themselves with sugary sweets until their stomachs ache. No doubt, they will regret it later... but right now, it couldn't be a more fun time.

Murakumo finds herself able to open up to them easily. She smiles, laughs at their jokes, and always has something to add to their conversations. There's no awkwardness, no sense of discomfort or shyness. They're easy to talk to, like they were always best friends.

Eventually, the giddy atmosphere dies down and Murakumo finds herself caught up in a more... serious conversation.

"...So what's your story, Murakumo-san?" Yozakura asks.

"O-oh...ummmm..." Murakumo has not expected this topic to be put up. She fiddles with her fingers as she looks over at Shiki.

"It's okay. They'll understand," the blonde assures her.

The shy brunette swallows hard and turns toward the two girls. "W-well...to be honest...I've been a very shy girl...with no presence. No one notices me...no one cares about me. They bully me because of my extreme shyness."

"What?! Who bullies you?!" Yozakura growls.

"Oh, just some stuck up girls that don't know the meaning of friendship." Shiki chimes in. "But don't worry about that, I'm protecting you from now on."

"R-really?" Murakumo stammers, blushing.

"Yep. No one is, like, EVER gonna mess with my Muracchi again. Right, girls?"

"Exactly. I'm not going to sit here and let people mistreat Murakumo-san for another second." Yumi says with assertiveness.

"Me either!" Minori exclaims. "We've got your back, Murakumo-san!"

Murakumo can feel tears welling up; tears of joy. Never in her life does she feel more fortunate than she does now. She has her own little group: four girls, who love her and care about her, and would do anything to protect her. Yozakura, Minori, Yumi... and most of all, Shiki. These girls are her family now; no longer will she ever be singled out. Now she has strength in numbers; between the five of them, nobody will ever mess with her again. And most importantly... she'll never be alone again.

"You guys... sniff... thank you!" Murakumo wails. Shiki notices her tears and immediately scoops her up, hugging the brunette against her bosom and softly stroking her hair.

"There there, Muracchi..." she whispers. "Just let it all out~"

"I'm just... so grateful... to have met you all!" Murakumo sniffles. "You're all... so nice to me...!"

"You deserve it, Murakumo-san." Yozakura replies. "You're a kind, smart, beautiful girl who would never hurt anybody. You deserve to be treated with kindness~"

The four of them all surround Murakumo and embrace her in unison, with equal affection from each one. Well, except Shiki... she hugged her a LITTLE harder.

After a few more hours, Murakumo and Shiki wave good-bye to their new friends and walk on the sidewalk. Shiki looks up at the sky and it's a beautiful, clear night. This day couldn't have been any better. She turns toward the shy brunette, who is smiling to herself.

"I've never seen you smile this much, Muracchi~" she points out.

"Eh!? O-oh...r-really?"

"Of course. Like, it's a good thing~! You should do that more often!"

Murakumo nods slowly. "Oh...okay."

The two of them continue walking until they get to Murakumo's home. They stop at the front door and face each other. The shy brunette fiddles with her fingers again as she looks up at Shiki.

"Th-thank you...so much, Shiki..." she says. "This has been...the best day ever.."

"Oh, no problem~" Shiki replies. "I'm very happy to help~"

They stare at each other as their smiles fade into what it seems to be loving expressions on their faces. Neither of them don't know why, but when they look at one another, they feel this urge. The sudden urge to do something.

They close their eyes as they suddenly lean in and touch lips. Somehow, this feeling...the feeling of each other's lips...they feel so good already. Shiki embraces the shy brunette as she keeps on kissing her. They pull away after a few seconds to catch their breath and both of them blush.

"S-s-sorry," Murakumo says. "That was, ummmm..."

Shiki has no idea what to say either. "Awkward, I know…."

Neither of them say anything else after that and Shiki leaves without another word. Murakumo enters the house and closes the door behind her and puts her back against the door.

"What...was that…?"

 **A/N: Jojo-san and I worked on this one. He wanted to update this since he liked it so much. I give credit to him. Hehe! Long and detailed reviews please~!**

 **Have a nice day!**


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